Users of saddle and pack animals, such as horses, donkeys, llamas, camels, etc., sometimes must leave an animal unattended outside of an enclosed environment. To prevent the animal from wandering away, the user may sometimes tie or otherwise secure the animal to a fixed object with a lead line or rope.
In places where saddle or pack animals are frequently left unattended, various devices to which the animals may be tied are sometimes provided. One common example of such a device is a hitching post. A hitching post typically includes a horizontal bar to which the animals may be tied, and one or more vertical supports that support the horizontal bar off of the ground. Another common device to which an animal may be tied is a tie ring. A tie ring includes a ring to which a lead line may be tied, and some mechanism (for example, an eyebolt) for securing the ring to a post or other fixed object.
While known securing devices are simple to use and construct, they also have various drawbacks. For example, if an animal tied to a hitching post or tie ring pulls on the lead line excessively, the knot securing the horse to the tie ring may pull tight, making it difficult to untie the animal. Also, it may be difficult for beginning riders to learn how to tie the animal to these devices.
Furthermore, securing an animal to a fixed object with a knot may present various dangers. For example, if an animal is frightened or startled, the animal may pull back against the knot. If the knot used to tie the animal does not have any give, the animal may feel trapped. This may cause the animal to panic and pull harder against the knot. If the animal continues to panic, it may injure itself, and also may present a danger to anybody that attempts to untie it. This may be an especially dangerous situation if the animal is tied into a transport trailer, due to the confined nature of such trailers.
The use of an ordinary tie ring aboard a transport trailer may also present a serious danger when an animal falls down inside of the trailer. If the knot used to tie the animal into the trailer has no give, the animal's head may be twisted into an unnatural position by the tension of the lead rope when the animal falls. This may cause serious injury to the animal, and may also prevent the animal from getting its head and/or body into a position from which it can right itself. Furthermore, this may cause the animal to panic, and thus to present a danger to itself and anyone who enters the trailer to try to help the animal.
Various solutions to these problems have been proposed. For example, one solution involves tying the animal to an elastic device, for example an automobile inner tube, that is fixed to an object such as a wall, a tree, etc. If a panicked animal pulls against the inner tube, the inner tube may stretch, which may prevent the animal from injuring itself. However, because the elastic member exerts a continuous force against the animal when the animal pulls against it, the animal may have the feeling that it is trapped, and may become panicked. Also, the continuous pull may cause the animal to tend to fight against the elastic member. This may tend to reinforce any pull back problems the animal may have.
Another known solution involves the use of a quick-release device that releases when an animal pulls against the device with enough force. While quick-release devices allow a panicked animal to free itself, the sudden nature of the release may cause the lead line to snap back toward the animal with enough force to injure the animal. Furthermore, the animal may fall down due to the sudden release of the lead line. Finally, the release of the lead line may leave the animal completely unsecured to any fixed object, and thus free to wander off.